The former players are accused of receiving payouts totaling $3.4 million for medical equipment they allegedly never purchased. Robert McCune is facing the most extensive array of accusations.

Lawrence Jackson/AP

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Lawrence Jackson/AP

The former players are accused of receiving payouts totaling $3.4 million for medical equipment they allegedly never purchased. Robert McCune is facing the most extensive array of accusations.

Lawrence Jackson/AP

Updated at 1:30 p.m. ET

Federal prosecutors are charging 10 former NFL players accused of defrauding the league’s health care program, resulting in payouts totaling $3.4 million for medical equipment they allegedly never purchased.

Former Washington Redskins running back Clinton Portis is among those accused, along with his former teammates Robert McCune and John Eubanks. The other former players charged are Tamarick Vanover from the Kansas City Chiefs, Ceandris Brown from the Houston Texans, Carlos Rogers from the Washington Redskins, James Butler of the New York Giants, Frederick Bennett of the Houston Texans, Correll Buckhalter of the Philadelphia Eagles, and Etric Pruitt of the Seattle Seahawks.

“Ten former NFL players allegedly committed a brazen, multimillion-dollar fraud on a health care plan meant to help their former teammates and other retired players pay legitimate, out-of-pocket medical expenses,” said Assistant Attorney General Brian Benczkowski. “Today’s indictments underscore that whoever you are, if you loot health care programs to line your own pockets, you will be held accountable by the Department of Justice.”

Authorities arrested four of the former players on Thursday morning, and six agreed to surrender to custody, prosecutors said.

The players are accused of filing false claims to the league health care program for reimbursement for expensive medical equipment that they never purchased. The Gene Upshaw NFL Player Health Reimbursement Account Plan was set up to dole out tax-free reimbursement for the out-of-pocket medical expenses of former players and their families.

According to prosecutors, the insurance company started to become suspicious over the large claims – often between $40,000 and $50,000 — and alerted federal authorities. Authorities say that some of the expensive devices listed in claims include “hyperbaric oxygen chambers, cryotherapy machines, ultrasound machines designed for use by a doctor’s office to conduct women’s health examinations and electromagnetic therapy devices designed for use on horses.”

McCune is facing the most extensive array of accusations — he’s charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and health care fraud, nine counts of wire fraud and nine counts of health care fraud.

According to prosecutors, McCune, Eubanks, Vanover, Buckhalter and Rogers solicited other players to join their scheme by offering to file false claims in exchange for kickbacks. McCune would allegedly impersonate other participants in the fraud as he called to check on the status of false claims. The claims submitted between June 2017 and December 2018 allegedly totaled more than $3.9 million.

The structure of the fraud “looks just like a traditional health care fraud scheme,” Benczkowski said. “You have a ringleader at the top. You have recruiters down below. And then you have what would normally be patients in a typical health care fraud scheme — and in this case, there were former players.”

Benczkowski said federal authorities have no evidence that any doctors were complicit in the scheme, which hinged on forged documents.

Assistant Attorney General Brian Benczkowski, center, in charge of the criminal division at the Dept. of Justice, U.S. Attorney Robert Duncan, of the Eastern District of Kentucky, left, and FBI Special Agent George Piro, right, in charge of the FBI’s Miami office, appears at a news conference to announce charges against ten former National Football League (NFL) players who are accused of defrauding an NFL health care program, at the Justice Department in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2019. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

By MICHAEL BALSAMO Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Ten former NFL players were charged in a multimillion-dollar scheme to defraud the league’s health care benefit program by submitting false claims for medical equipment, including devices used on horses, the Justice Department said Thursday.
The players were charged in two separate indictments filed in federal court in Kentucky, accusing them of conspiracy, wire fraud and healthcare fraud. Prosecutors allege they submitted nearly $4 million in phony claims, leading to payouts of about $3.4 million between June 2017 and December 2018.
Those charged include five former players on the Washington Redskins, including Clinton Portis and Carlos Rogers.
Prosecutors allege the players targeted the Gene Upshaw NFL Player Health Reimbursement Account Plan, which was established as part of a collective bargaining agreement in 2006. It provides tax-free reimbursement of out-of-pocket medical care expenses that were not covered by insurance and that were incurred by former players, their spouses and dependents.
“As outlined in the indictments, a group of former players brazenly defrauded the plan by seeking reimbursements for expensive medical equipment that they never purchased,” said Assistant Attorney General Brian Benczkowski, who leads the Justice Department’s criminal division.
The players claimed to have purchased hyperbaric oxygen chambers, ultrasound machines and electromagnetic therapy devices that were designed to be used on horses, he said.
Prosecutors say the group’s alleged ringleaders, Robert McCune and Correll Buckhalter — who they allege broke off to create his own similar ring — would recruit former players by offering to submit fake claims to the health care plan. The ringleaders would then demand thousands of dollars in kickbacks for each fake claim, prosecutors allege.
The suspects are accused of fabricating letters from health care providers about using the medical equipment, fabricating prescriptions that were purportedly signed by healthcare providers and creating fake invoices from medical equipment companies in an effort to prove the equipment was purchased, according to court documents. In reality, they had never purchased or received the medical equipment, prosecutors said.
Investigators believe the defendants had forged the prescriptions and authorization letters and uncovered no evidence that any doctors were complicit in the scheme, Benczkowski said.
After the phony claims were submitted, the former players would receive reimbursement checks and pay a kickback to the ringleaders and recruiters, the indictments charge.
Prosecutors moved to bring charges, in part because the scheme put the health care plan’s tax-exempt status at risk, which could’ve forced other former players using the plan legitimately to pay more, Benczkowski said.
Four of the suspects, McCune, Rogers, John Eubanks and Ceandris Brown, were arrested Thursday morning by the FBI. Six others had agreed to surrender to authorities, the Justice Department said. They are: James Butler, Fredrick Bennett, Etric Pruitt, Tamarick Vanover, Portis and Buckhalter.
The Justice Department has also filed court papers in Kentucky noting that it plans to file charges against two other players as well, including Joe Horn, a four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver for the New Orleans Saints, and Donald “Reche” Caldwell.
The investigation was continuing, but because the plan involves only former players prosecutors do not expect any current NFL players to face charges, Benczkowski said.
Portis’ lawyer, Mark Dycio, said his client “had no knowledge that his participation in what he believed to be an NFL sanctioned medical reimbursement insurance program was illegal.”
“He is completely taken aback by the indictment and will move forward with the process of clearing his good name and those of his fellow NFL alumni,” Dycio said.

The players were charged in two separate indictments filed in federal court in Kentucky, accusing them of conspiracy, wire fraud and healthcare fraud. Prosecutors allege they submitted nearly $4 million in phony claims, leading to payouts of about $3.4 million between June 2017 and December 2018.

Those charged include five former players on the Washington Redskins, including Clinton Portis and Carlos Rogers.

Prosecutors allege the players targeted the Gene Upshaw NFL Player Health Reimbursement Account Plan, which was established as part of a collective bargaining agreement in 2006. It provides tax-free reimbursement of out-of-pocket medical care expenses that were not covered by insurance and that were incurred by former players, their spouses and dependents.

“As outlined in the indictments, a group of former players brazenly defrauded the plan by seeking reimbursements for expensive medical equipment that they never purchased,” said Assistant Attorney General Brian Benczkowski, who leads the Justice Department’s criminal division.

The players claimed to have purchased hyperbaric oxygen chambers, ultrasound machines and electromagnetic therapy devices that were designed to be used on horses, he said.

Prosecutors say the group’s alleged ringleaders, Robert McCune and Correll Buckhalter — who they allege broke off to create his own similar ring — would recruit former players by offering to submit fake claims to the health care plan. The ringleaders would then demand thousands of dollars in kickbacks for each fake claim, prosecutors allege.

The suspects are accused of fabricating letters from health care providers about using the medical equipment, fabricating prescriptions that were purportedly signed by healthcare providers and creating fake invoices from medical equipment companies in an effort to prove the equipment was purchased, according to court documents. In reality, they had never purchased or received the medical equipment, prosecutors said.

Investigators believe the defendants had forged the prescriptions and authorization letters and uncovered no evidence that any doctors were complicit in the scheme, Benczkowski said.

After the phony claims were submitted, the former players would receive reimbursement checks and pay a kickback to the ringleaders and recruiters, the indictments charge.

Prosecutors moved to bring charges, in part because the scheme put the health care plan’s tax-exempt status at risk, which could’ve forced other former players using the plan legitimately to pay more, Benczkowski said.

Four of the suspects, McCune, Rogers, John Eubanks and Ceandris Brown, were arrested Thursday morning by the FBI. Six others had agreed to surrender to authorities, the Justice Department said. They are: James Butler, Fredrick Bennett, Etric Pruitt, Tamarick Vanover, Portis and Buckhalter.

The Justice Department has also filed court papers in Kentucky noting that it plans to file charges against two other players as well, including Joe Horn, a four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver for the New Orleans Saints, and Donald “Reche” Caldwell.

The investigation was continuing, but because the plan involves only former players prosecutors do not expect any current NFL players to face charges, Benczkowski said.

Portis’ lawyer, Mark Dycio, said his client “had no knowledge that his participation in what he believed to be an NFL sanctioned medical reimbursement insurance program was illegal.”

“He is completely taken aback by the indictment and will move forward with the process of clearing his good name and those of his fellow NFL alumni,” Dycio said.

The players allegedly submitted false claims to the Gene Upshaw NFL Player Health Reimbursement Account Plan for reimbursement for medical equipment costing between $40,000 and $50,000. Players who filed the fraudulent claims on behalf of others received “payment of kickbacks and bribes” of up to $10,000 for each false claim.

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Ten former NFL players have been charged with defrauding the league’s health care benefit program, the Justice Department said Thursday.

They include five former players on the Washington Redskins, including Clinton Portis and Carlos Rogers.

See also: Agent Scott Boras will make more money next year than almost every MLB player

Prosecutors allege the players targeted the Gene Upshaw NFL Player Health Reimbursement Account Plan, which was established as part of a collective bargaining agreement in 2006. It provides tax-free reimbursement of out-of-pocket medical care expenses that were not covered by insurance and that were incurred by former players, their spouses and dependents.

The Justice Department alleges the players submitted nearly $4 million in false claims to the plan, resulting in over $3.4 million being paid out between June 2017 and December 2018.

Court papers allege Portis and seven other players submitted claims to be reimbursed for expensive medical equipment. But prosecutors allege they had never purchased or received the medical equipment.

See also: This state makes the most tax revenue from sports betting — and it’s not Nevada

The indictment filed in federal court in Kentucky alleges they fabricated letters from health care providers about using the medical equipment, fabricated prescriptions that were purportedly signed by healthcare providers and created fake invoices from medical equipment companies in an effort to prove the equipment was purchased.

By Gabrielle Banks, Houston Chronicle

Updated 5:11 pm, Wednesday, May 2, 2018

A Houston woman was taken into custody Wednesday on federal charges that she swindled a former NFL player out of more than $1 million after he hired her as a financial advisor.

This is at least the second time in recent years that federal prosecutors in Houston have charged a financial agent with stealing money from an ex-football player, although the professionals and former NFL players involved in the two cases are different.

In the newer case, Tonya Lynn Adkism, 44, faces a 16-count indictment including allegations of mail, bank and wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, according to the U.S. Attorney. Adkism was taken into custody Wednesday and set to make an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Dena Hanovice Palermo.

Adkism’s court records are under seal and the prosecutor and judge on the case were unable to provide further information about the case or her attorney.

According to court documents, Robert Meachem, a former wide receiver for the New Orleans Saints hired Adkism in June 2010 to oversee his finances. Investigators say she fraudulently obtained signatory authority over Meachem’s corporate accounts and forged his signature on checks linked to his personal accounts, netting than $1 million from his accounts.

She faces a maximum of 20 years in prison for mail fraud and on each of two counts of wire fraud and up to 30 years in prison and a possible $1 million maximum fine for each of eight counts of bank fraud.

RELATED: Woman allegedly conned Heisman winner Ricky Williams out of millions

The second recent case involved a former Houston woman who recently pleaded guilty after portraying herself as a Harvard-educated money manager and tricking former NFL running back Errick L.”Ricky” Williams and other professional athletes out of millions of dollars.

Peggy Ann Fulford , 59, pleaded guilty Feb. 1 to moving illegally obtained money across state lines. She agreed to repay $3.5 million to Williams for his losses.

Fulford’s attorney, Philip Gallagher, at the federal public defender’s office, was not immediately available for comment.

According to court documents, Fulford convinced the former Heisman winner at University of Texas that she had studied law and business at a Harvard and had made her fortune on Wall Street buying and selling hospitals and real estate in the Bahamas, but records showed she did not attend Harvard or have a law license.

Fulford is scheduled for sentencing Aug. 2 before U.S. District Judge Keith P. Ellison.

Gabrielle Banks covers federal court for the Hoston Chronicle. Follow her on Twitter and send her tips at gabrielle.banks@chron.com.